


On solving writing motivation problems

by J_Baillier



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Meta, Writer's Block, Writing Advice, writing resources
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 05:19:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7155284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Baillier/pseuds/J_Baillier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An essay on overcoming the mythical beast of writer's block.</p>
            </blockquote>





	On solving writing motivation problems

As is with all advice on artistic pursuits, not all of this is applicable to all writers. These are just some personal pointers, most of which have occurred to me through trial and error. After twenty years of writing fanfic in three different fandoms I dare to claim I know a little something about overcoming motivation problems.

 **Accept that writing isn't supposed to be fun all the time**  
I wish it were fun even _half_ of the time. It's slow, stress-inducing, terrifying, distracting from real life, difficult and contains a risk of feeling like I failed in my own eyes. You're going to have chapters you hate writing, plot problems that drive you crazy, characters who won't behave. It's all part of the game. Like ballet dancers willing to endure constricting diets, pain, injuries and physical exhaustion beyond reasonable and sane, we toil for those tiny moments of clarity, elation and the feeling that we control an entire microcosmos through which we can connect with our fellow human beings. Many of us don't do it because we can, we do it because we feel we must - because nobody else can wrench that scene out of your head onto a piece of paper or a laptop screen but you.

I have a friend who's a professional author and she has taught me an important lesson: motivation isn't everything. Sometimes you just need to put your nose to the grindstone and work. When it feels like wading through quicksand: write 100 words. If you don't feel like throwing your laptop out of the window, write 100 more. If it feels bearable still, write another 100. Continue until you have met your writing goal for that day.

 **Don't judge a text while writing it**  
Let it pour out without too much self-censorship. You can weed out the problems later. It's easier to edit a text with too much stuff in it than it is to add new things. The first draft rarely is the final one - don't let yourself get too stressed about how good or bad it is. Focus on getting that story out of your head so that others can enjoy it, too (once it's been polished during the editing phase). 

**Find a beta**  
A good beta will point out your blind spots, tell you what works and what doesn't, and encourage you when you need it. Sometimes all that's required to stop a writer's block is someone confirming that the story is, still, worth the effort. A very pertinent question from a beta has often lead me to really start thinking, and that may lead to a lovely spark of motivation to elaborate on an interesting bit in the story.

 **Don't mystify writer's block**  
It's not the Black Plague. It's not something that requires therapy or is largely treatment-resistant. There are many kinds of it - from a complete loss of interest in the story to a slight technical snag. Stop calling it a writer's block and take it simply as a symptom of 'writing is not always fun nor is it even supposed to be'. 

**Make a time and a place for writing**  
Put it in your calendar. Tell about it to other people you live with. Close the door. Give the dog a new chewtoy. Sit the kids in front of a good quality children's film. Make writing at least a moderate priority. And when that big-time inspiration hits, make use of it - that laundry and that half-read novel you have on the table can wait a few days so that you can get that diamond of a text out of your head. A creative flow state is a rare thing - cherish it.

As for where to write, it's a matter of personal preference. Sometimes a change of scenery helps with motivation, too! Peace and quiet can actually be a hindrance - I've done some of my best work in cafes where the ambient sounds work a bit like white noise.

 **Wait for an inspiring enough idea**  
This might be the most subjective bit of advice on this list, but it's what works for me. People who don't write things often seem to assume that writing starts with the question 'what if'. What if Spock bought a caravan? What if Fox Mulder went on a farm holiday? Fun ideas, but for me they're not enough for a story to be born out of. I need a scene, a vision, an irresistible flash of emotion in my head - just a tiny but very concrete glimpse. Instead of 'what if' these things sort of playing out in my head, and I need to transcribe what's going on. I can't decide to simply start writing a story about a certain subject matter - I need that hook, line and sinker feeling. Some of those flashes of inspiration lead to stories, some of them remain forever in limbo on my hard drive but all in all, without them, no stories of mine would ever see the light of day.

Wait for the idea that properly lights that spark. The rest will sort itself out. 

**Communicate with your readers and fellow authors**  
As much as I've banged on about that sparkling vision that starts it all, sometimes the motivation boost I've needed has come from readers. I was repeatedly asked if I could please possibly do a sequel to "Grey Matters". As happy as I was that so many people loved that story so much they wanted more, it was sort of grueling, because I had no idea what a sequel could be about. Reader comments somehow managed to lodge that thought into my brain, because the cogs kept whirring and after a while there suddenly was a scene in my head that kickstarted the sequel. 

Talking to fellow authors can give you valuable advice on solving motivation problems, spotting personal blind spots in technique and most of all, keeping alive the love for the fandom itself. You'll be exposed to new ideas and perhaps you'll even end up betaing the works of others which can be very educational and inspiring. 

Talk to your readers. Write Author's notes, reply to comments, ask questions. It'll make you feel like a part of something bigger, remind you that there are people out there who love what you're doing. It won't fix a bad case of motivation gone fishing, but it'll help you stiff up that lip when writing doesn't feel like much fun.

 **Don't pay too much attention to idiots (as Sherlock would probably love to tell you)**  
Don't think about potential reader reactions too much - tell the story _you_ need to tell. In a big fandom there's always going to be someone who doesn't like what you've done. Sometimes they even show up to tell you this, not grasping the concept of "don't like, don't read". I am talking about those who have nothing useful to say, and whose negative opinions come from personal preferences instead of valid points about canon or characterization: "I just don't like stories where there's no case going on/John doesn't wear red pants/Mycroft isn't ridiculously poncy/Sherlock doesn't play the violin/Mary isn't completely evil." Ignore them. I know it's hard and discouraging to be told by someone that what you've done is unworthy in their eyes, but it's _your_ story, and literature is not a democracy. 

Same goes for letting or not letting feedback affect the content of unpublished chapters in the editing phase. Don't let readers decide where you're taking your story. Prompts and request ficlets are tons of fun, but for bigger pieces _you_ are the one who ultimately decides what happens. I once wrote a story the ending of which I knew was going to divide readers. Despite protests I didn't change it, and I'm proud of that. It was a ballsy move, and it was _my_ move.

I want to iterate that I'm not talking about actual constructive criticism here - that's a form of _love_ for your story. Take it as such. Praise is nice, but it's the concrit that will teach you to be a better writer. There have been countless of occasions where reader comments have lead me to realize there's a plothole to be fixed, or a subject matter to be elaborated on in a later chapter. Those who give you constructive criticism are helping you make your story even better and thus more enjoyable for all readers. It's a win-win situation, really.

 **Try not to get discouraged by the talents of others**  
This is a tough one, especially for beginners. There's always going to be someone better than you, someone cleverer, someone with what you feel has a more original voice. That doesn't mean that you should pack up and leave. There are stories inside us that nobody else can tell than their inventors. Tolstoy couldn't write my johnlock fics, nor could Maya Angelou pen your Sherlock stories. This fandom is such a big one that every story will surely find an audience, and they are willing to overlook small blunders you may have made, if the love you poured into those stories shines through.

It's also possible to get better at it and make that gap between your skills and those of others smaller, even non-existant. Find a beta, read a couple of writing guides (Jeff Vandermeer's " _Wonderbook_ " is very inspirational), take heart reader comments and other constructive criticism. Most of all: keep at it. Write, write, write. That's how you learn. Two years ago, I could never have taken on the sorts of writing projects I am capable now. How'd I get there? By writing, of course.

When you're in the middle of a writing project, it may not be the best idea to read a lot of brilliant stuff during that period. I can't write for days after a new chapter of one of my favourite WIPs comes out. They might affect my style without me realizing it, and they make me want to never write another word because they're so good. Luckily that feeling of discouragement always passes with time.

 **It doesn't matter if it's been done before**  
....Because it hasn't been done by you. I've lost count how many Reichenbach aftermath stories I've read, and it still doesn't feel like a dead horse. Not by far. And there's plenty of room on my rec list for more brilliant vampire stories. Many, many more.

 **Read at least twice as much as you write. And watch stuff, too.**  
I'm not just talking about reading Sherlock fic and watching the episodes. I'm talking about reading and watching all kinds of things. You might find inspiration in surprising places. One of the flashes of inspiration of mine that lead to a major story came to me after rewatching an episode of Dexter. Writing a horror novel that combines Sherlock with ACD canon and the works of H. P. Lovecraft couldn't naturally have happened if I'd not read a lot of Lovecraft.

Find out what's happening in the fandom. Read prompts, setlock speculation, fan theories - such fandom meta is a wonderful source of out-of-the-box ideas.

 **Resist the temptation of instant gratification**  
Also known as "the curse of chapter 5/?". Many authors start posting what will probably be a long story right after they've penned just a few chapters. The positive, enthusiastic readers comments feel wonderful, but they might actually lead a writer to sit on their laurels since they've already gained a satisfactory boost from the fandom. To counter this, at least plan a rough outline for the story - how many chapters, what are the pivotal points, how does it end? This will help with both the writing, and keeping the motivation up. Having a long story in the works with no end in sight can be daunting. An extreme form of trying to avoid this problem is the way I write: I never post even chapter 1 of a story I've not finished writing the entire draft for. Why? Because as a reader I've been burned so many times, falling in love with a series that gets abandoned at some point - "chapter 11/?, last updated 3 years ago...". 

**Never completely lose hope in a story**  
I once had a ghost story with some jokes I really liked, but it never felt as though it was _working_. I let it simmer on my hard drive for a couple of years, and in the end the bits that I did like found a home in a completely different story. Another time I started writing a story, only to realize two chapters later that the reason it didn't feel as though it had been working was that I hadn't realized it was a sequel to one of my preceding stories. An unfinished short story of mine found a home as a chapter in a novel-length piece. Whatever you do, don't delete those unfinished things! You never know where they might end up!

 **Accept it when the Muse has moved on**  
All lives end, all hearts are broken, and sometimes the love for a fandom has simply run its course. Grieve, accept and move on - don't force yourself to write, if the spark just isn't there anymore. You'll know it when it happens - it feels different to just running out of ideas or hitting a particularly nasty plot problem.


End file.
